# Reducing Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Department Setting

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · 2021 · $111,604

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Substance use disorders disproportionately affect individuals seeking treatment in Emergency Departments
(EDs). Nicotine addiction is a commonly reported substance use disorder in ED populations that impacts
adults directly and their children through secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe). EDs are uniquely positioned to
deliver preventive intervention for tobacco use disorders to at-risk adult and child populations with limited
access to sources of preventive care. While EDs could expand medical care to include a focus on health
promotion and disease prevention for children and their caregivers, implementation of such efforts is rare.
Commonly reported barriers include time, resources, and skill in public health intervention. Thus, there is a call
to train scientists capable of leading multi-disciplinary research that extends the clinical mission of EDs to
include health promotion and disease prevention efforts. However, little attention has been given to quantifying
the contribution child SHSe has on pediatric ED (PED) utilization and exploring how to effectively implement
SHSe reduction interventions into this opportune setting. Therefore, the specific aims of this project are: 1) To
determine the contribution that child SHSe has on healthcare utilization and related costs in SHS-exposed
children who present to the PED compared with unexposed children; 2) To select one of two existing,
evidence-based SHSe reduction interventions, and identify ways to adapt and successfully implement the
intervention in the PED setting by conducting focused interviews with physicians, nurses, social workers, and
healthcare administrators; and 3) To develop an implementation plan and corresponding manual of procedures
for use in a future R01 SHSe reduction intervention that will be adapted for the PED setting. The successful
completion of the proposed project will result in identification of the health and economic burden of child SHSe
on the PED and creation of an implementation plan to reduce SHSe to be tested in a future R01 trial. Dr.
Ashley L. Merianos, the candidate, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati. The National
Institutes of Health Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) will provide the candidate with
fundamental research and career training in mixed-methods methodology and preventive intervention to
implement the proposed work. Dr. Merianos’ long-term career goal is to be a health services researcher with
expertise in developing, adapting, and implementing evidence-based behavioral interventions for substance
use disorders affecting children in the acute healthcare setting. Through the proposed K01 work, she plans to
focus on child SHSe in the PED to acquire new skills needed to incorporate health promotion and disease
prevention into the acute healthcare setting.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10222632
- **Project number:** 5K01DA044313-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
- **Principal Investigator:** Ashley L Merianos
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $111,604
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-15 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10222632

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10222632, Reducing Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Department Setting (5K01DA044313-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10222632. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*